BURTON & SOUTH DERBYSHIRE FEDERATION. FIASCO FROM YEOVIL AFTER FRUSTRATION AT NIORT. SATURDAY JULY 11 TH SAW OUR BIRDS AT NIORT, CONVOYED BY THE NORTH DERBYSHIRE FEDERATION.POOR WEATHER AT THE RACEPOINT MEANT THERE WAS NO CHANCE OF A LIBERATION ON THE SATURDAY; SUNDAY OR MONDAY. THE OFFICIALS OF THE NORTH DERBYSHIRE FED, AFTER VIEWING THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR THE FOLLOWING DAYS, DECIDED TO BRING THE BIRDS BACK TO ENGLAND. I BELIEVE THE BIRDS DOCKED BACK IN ENGLAND ON THE TUESDAY MORNING, AND THEN HEADED TO YEOVIL. THE BIRDS WERE LIBERATED AT 2-30PM INTO A WEST WIND, AND WHAT FOLLOWED CAN ONLY BE CALLED A FARCE. I DO NOT KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT WHAT OF FLIGHT WAS CARRIED OUT BY THE RACE CONTROLLER, BUT IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT SOMETHING WAS DEFINITELY AMISS, WHEN AFTER 3 HOURS, NO BIRDS HAD GOT HOME FOR THE 135-140 MILE TRIP INTO THE BURTON AREA. THERE WERE REPORTS OF HEAVY DRIZZLE AND POOR VISIBILITY IN THE WEST MIDLANDS AREA, AND ALSO IN THE AREA NEARER THE RACEPOINT. THEY COULD NOT HAVE GOT A GOOD START, IT WAS SUCH A FARCE THAT SOME CLUBS ONLY HAD 1 BIRD HOME ON THE DAY!! I M NOT SURE IF ANY CLUBS WERE BIRDLESS ON THE DAY OR NOT AS NEWS FROM THE CLUBS, LIKE THE BIRDS, HAS BEEN SPARsE. EVEN MORE ASTONISHING IS THAT THERE ARE STILL BIRDS MISSING FROM THIS RACE 12 DAYS LATER; THESE INCLUDE BIRDS THAT HAVE NOT ONLY FLOWN THE CHANNEL BEFORE, BUT HAVE WON FROM FRANCE TOO!!
WITH IT BECOMING AN INLAND RACE, THE RACE CLOSED AT 10PM, AND MANY MEMBERS REPORTED N.I.O.R.T. (NOTHING IN ORDINARY RACE TIME). MANY MEMBERS ARE BECOMING DISILLUSIONED WITH THE CHANNEL RACING WE HAVE HAD IN THE RECENT YEARS. IT CAN NOT BE EASY FOR THE OFFICIALS OF THE NORTH DERBYSHIRE FED EITHER; THEY WANT GOOD RACING LIKE WE ALL DO. BUT, I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY AFTER WAITING SO LONG IN NIORT TO GIVE US A GOOD RACE, THEY RUSHED INTO A LIBERATION AT YEOVIL, WHEN IT WAS FORECAST THAT THE FOLLOWING DAY (WEDNESDAY) WAS THE BETTER OPTION. THAT IS MY OPINION, AND ALSO THAT OF MANY FANCIERS I HAVE SPOKEN TOO. NO DOUBT THE NORTH DERBYSHIRE LADS WILL HAVE HAD THERE SAY TOO? WHY COULDN T THE WEATHER HAVE BEEN KINDER TO US? I WOULD RATHER HAVE BEEN REPORTING ABOUT A CLASSIC RACE FROM NIORT. TREVOR ELSTONE & SON OF BARTON TAKE 1 ST FED FROM NIORT / YEOVIL. WELL WE HAD A RACE, AND BEFORE THE BIRDS WERE LIBERATED, AFTER CONSULTING THE COMMITTEE, IT WAS DECIDED TO RETURN ALL POOL MONEY TO THE MEMBERS, AS THE MAJORITY STATED THEY HAD POOLED FOR A 450 MILE RACE, AND NOT A 130 MILE RACE, THIS SEEMED ONLY FAIR, AND I BELIEVE WENT DOWN WELL WITH THOSE CONCERNED? CONGRATULATIONS TO TREVOR ELSTONE & SON OF THE BARTON CLUB, THEY TOOK 1 ST AND 10 TH FED ON 1251; 1169; (12 MINUTES 30 SECONDS BETWEEN THE TWO BIRDS) SADLY, NO DETAILS TO HAND, ONLY THAT THEY WERE BOTH BLUES, THE FIRST A 3YO, THEN A 2YO.
2 ND FED ON 1249 WERE MASON & JONES OF THE HILL RIDWARE CLUB, THEY TIMED IN A YEARLING HEN OF PETE & SANDRA SHAW STOCK. MOGGY ELSMORE OF HILL RIDWARE WAS 3 RD FED ON 1238 WITH A 4YO JANSENNE COCK OFF SPINK & BARKS MAD COCK LINES. MICK WOOD OF BARTON WAS 4 TH FED ON 1233 WITH A 2YO COCK. G. INGER & SON OF THE BULLS HEAD WAS 5 TH FED ON 1217, NEIL TIMED IN A YEARLING CHEQ COCK FIRST. J & F PARK OF HILL RIDWARE WERE 6 TH FED ON 1203 WITH A 3YO LOUELLA JANSENNE COCK. MR & MRS TREVOR COLLINS & SON OF THE NELSON WERE 7 TH FED ON 1199 WITH A 2YO BLUE HEN.
Ray and Jean Grimsdell RAY & JEAN GRIMSDELL OF STRETTON WERE 8 TH FED ON 1174 WITH A 2YO WILLY THAS X MUELEMAN COCK, OFF THEIR GOOD OLD GRIZZLE COCK. FINALLY, GRAHAM WADSWORTH OF SWADLINCOTE TOWN TOOK 9 TH FED ON 1171 WITH A YEARLING COCK. AROUND THE CLUBS, NOT MUCH TO REPORT, BUT HERE WE GO, AT STRETTON, 7 SENT 41 AND ONLY 4 BIRDS ON THE DAY. RAY & JEAN GRIMSDELL HAD 3 OF THEM AND THE FIRST TWO WERE 1 ST & 2 ND CLUB ON 1174; 1137; THE WINNER THE WILLY THAS X MUELEMAN COCK, THEN A DE KUYSER COCK. ALAN BRASSINGTON WAS 3 RD ON 765 WITH A YEARLING HEN OFF RAY & JEANS WINNER, PURCHASED AT THE FED BREEDER BUYER. AT THE SILVER GHOST, 4 SENT 20 AND MR & MRS JASON PHILLIPS GOT THE ONLY DAY BIRD ON 914, A YEARLING SOONTJEN X CASEART X VAN REET HEN, BRED BY RUEBEN HOUGH, AND BROUGHT AT THE FED BREEDER BUYER, SHE WAS UNRACED AS A YB.
AT WINSHILL, 4 SENT 18 AND BRIAN & LESLEY STONE TOOK 1 ST & 4 TH ON 977; 825; THE WINNER A 6YO JANSENNE HEN, FOLLOWED BY A 3YO JANSENNE COCK. RON TILT WAS RUNNER UP ON 941 WITH A 3YO PIED HEN OFF ALWYN PADDY STOCK. KEITH LANSDOWNE WAS 3 RD ON 864 WITH A 2YO DELBAR HEN OFF ALAN PEACH. AT ETWALL, 6 SENT 29 AND DAVE WILLIAMS & SON TOOK THE RED CARD ON 1117. MR & MRS TONY WHITEHURST WERE 2 ND ON 974; ALAN PEACH 3 RD ON 886 WITH ONE OFF DAVE WILLIAMS & SON, AND WILLIE HORTON WAS 4 TH ON 847. Trevor Collins
Gary Collins AT THE NELSON, TREVOR & GARY COLLINS WERE 1 ST & 3 RD ON 1199; 1052. HOOGENDYK & PARKER WERE 2 ND ON 1113 AND GARY SMITH 4 TH ON 1033. AT TUTBURY, 5 SENT 31 AND MR & MRS C BUDD GOT THE WINNER ON 801, THEIR GEORGE CARTHEUS X JAN AARDEN WAS THE ONLY BIRD IN THE CLUB ON THE DAY. AT HILL RIDWARE, THE FIRST THREE ALL APPEAR IN THE FED TOP TEN REPORT ABOVE; SPINK & BARKS WERE 4 TH ON 1021WITH A YEARLING DE WEERDT X BUSCHEART HEN. FINALLY, AT THE MINERS ARMS, THE FIRST THREE WERE THE SAME AS AT THE NELSON, AS THESE BIRDS WERE DUPLICATED ACROSS. MICK & NEIL HARVEY WERE 4 TH ON 920/ THE MALTSTER
01283-568000 petethemaltster@tiscali.co.uk